21st Century Security and CPTED, 2nd Edition

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9

Offensible Space

CRIMINALS, CPTED, AND THE EMERGENCE OF TERRORISM

This chapter examines how the criminal community has successfully altered their environment to

obstruct police and the law-abiding community efforts by using offensible space strategies. It is not

only a matter for crime. This is a matter of new importance considering the emerging threat of ter-

rorism. If criminals employ Offensible Space to their advantage, so, too, can terrorists. This chapter

sets the stage for the chapters that follow regarding terror risk assessments around critical infra-

structures and the emerging role of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) in

the new threat environment.

The typical law-abiding community perceives the role of police to protect their persons and

property. In reality, the police role consists of very limited, overextended manpower, with

diminished resources to combat the drug and criminal business enterprise. Now they add antiter-

rorism programs to their job description. There has been a concerted effort in law enforcement

over the past few decades to shift focus on crime prevention with community-oriented policing and

problem solving (Figure 9.1), rather than simply after-the-fact strategies to apprehend criminals and

solve crime retroactively (Peak and Glenson, 2004).

Accompanying this law enforcement shift to community policing and problem solving, violent

crime rates have declined since 1994, reaching the lowest level ever recorded in 2004. “Violent street

crime did not go away on September 11,” said Jim Pasco, executive director of the fraternal order of

police, the nation’s largest police union (The Miami Herald, 2006, p. 2A). According to the prelimi-

nary semiannual uniform crime report, January to June, 2010, the nation saw a 6.2% decrease in the

number of reported violent crimes and a 2.8% decrease in the number of reported property crimes

compared to data for the same time frame during 2009 (see Figures 9.2 through 9.4). The report

specically covers the violent crimes of murder, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, etc.

and the property crimes of burglary, larceny theft, and motor vehicle theft. It also includes arson,

which is considered a property crime but is tracked separately for this report.

CONTENTS

Criminals, CPTED, and the Emergence of Terrorism.................................................................... 119

Defensible Space ............................................................................................................................122

Offensible Space ............................................................................................................................123

Emergence of an Idea .....................................................................................................................125

Turning Defensible Space Backward .............................................................................................129

Criminals Take Over ......................................................................................................................130

Big Brother Is Here to Stay ............................................................................................................ 137

Preventing Offensible Space .......................................................................................................... 141

CPTED and Terrorism ................................................................................................................... 143

Summary ........................................................................................................................................ 144

References ...................................................................................................................................... 145

120 21st Century Security and CPTED

FIGURE 9.1 This hotel property is coming before the Nuisance Abatement Board for crime problems.

(From Daniel, T., Biscayne motel faces discipline, Miami Herald, Apr. 16, 2006. With permission.)

FIGURE 9.2 Crime rates lowest in 40 years, but some think crime has just shifted to economic ponzy

scheme frauds. (From Ortega, J. and Roustan, W.K., State’s crime rate lowest in 40 years, South Florida Sun-

Sentinel, Apr. 27, 2011. With permission.)

121Offensible Space

FIGURE 9.3 Latest crime trends for 2010. (From Uniform Crime Reports, Federal Bureau of Investigation,

Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report, January–June, 2010.)

FIGURE 9.4 Overall crime is declining but the types of crimes that are emerging reect the economic

downturn. (From Barrett, D., Declining crime gures buck recession trends, Associated Press, Dec. 22, 2009.

With permission.)